


Violets are Beautiful

by xXFoxtaiLXx



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Trials, dwight just wants to prove himself
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-07-12 08:52:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15991856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xXFoxtaiLXx/pseuds/xXFoxtaiLXx
Summary: Dwight has had some bad trials and he really wants to make up for it.





	Violets are Beautiful

Dwight held his toolbox closer to his chest as the fog started to lick at his body, slowly engulfing him with it's embrace. He closed his eyes, scrunching his face up and hoping he wouldn't have to face another match with Billy. He could hear the sound of the damn chainsaw in his dreams, the feel of the cold metal piercing his skin and ripping him apart. 

As he started to feel the ground beneath his feet again he opened his eyes and sighed in relief as he saw the corns fields. He liked this place the best, corn was good to hide in, especially against the likes of the nurse- probably the most difficult of killers to face. He looked around to see if any of the other survivors were with him, he'd seen Bill, Claudette and Nea at the fire before he was taken, though It didn't look like any of them had appeared with him.

He guessed it wasn't too bad, he could work on a generator by himself without being yelled at again. His mind had been elsewhere recently, he was struggling with nightmares and the lack of sleep was starting to effect him in trials. He'd mess up on the generator, think he could see or hear the killer and waste precious time hiding from nothing. The others were starting to pick up on it, their faces would fall when they saw he was with them even though some tried to hide it. He'd prove himself today though, he had to.

He headed over to the nearest generator and knelt down beside it, rubbing his hands together before getting stuck in. He used what he could from his toolbox, trying to save some for the next one, or a hook sabotage if he could manage it. As the rumbling got louder he checked around for any other survivors or the killer, he still wasn't sure who it was yet and that wasn't reassuring. No heartbeat or lullaby of some sort could mean Michael or Amanda and neither of them were fun to go against. The sound of his generator clicking on broke him out if his thoughts and he gathered his tools quickly so that he could avoid a killer come to check over here. He climbed into a locker and waited, hoping to catch a glimpse of the killer. Still nothing. _Maybe they're already chasing someone..._

He climbed out uncertainly, checking around for a glimmer of the invisible wraith or a crouching Pig. The coast seemed clear for now, he tried to relax his body, he didn't want to pull a muscle in a chase. That would be a new low for him. 

He headed over to one of the combine harvesters, totems often appeared around them and he could get a good look from the top of it. He checked in between the wheels and found a dull totem, cleansing it quickly before creeping up onto the combine and looking out for signs of the others. His shoulders tensed up again as he realised there were no buildings on the map with the exception of the two shacks. Just a large expanse of corn with very little to loop a killer around. He took a deep breath to steady himself before heading down, not wanting to be in an easy place to spot for too long. 

As he searched for another generator he finally got a glimpse of a survivors aura, it was Claudette. He ran over to where she was and saw her searching a chest. He crouched down beside her to help make it go quicker.

'Hey Dwight.' She greeted, pulling a med kit out of the chest and smiling at him. 'You seen the other two yet?'

'Not a sign of them. I thought they might be in a chase.'

'Well neither of them are injured, not that I've seen anyway.'

'That's okay then, Nea is pretty good at keeping them busy. Speaking of which who is  _them_  this time? Have you seen the killer?'

Claudette nodded. 'It's the Trapper I think, I only saw him from a distance.'

The trapper wasn't too bad, you just had to be careful when vaulting things or running through pallets as they were common spots for a trap.

'Well then, shall we head to another generator?' He asked, rubbing the back of his neck nervously as Claudette carried on staring at him. 

'Yeah, I want to get out of here as soon as I can. I do not want a bear trap round my ankle today.'

***

The two of them worked through the generator, Claudette's presence was comforting and he could tell he was working faster because of it. As he leant down to grab a tool out of his box he noticed she had something in her hair. As he sat back up he could see it was flowers, a few tiny purple flowers braided in between her locks. 

'Hey when did you put those in your hair?' He asked, a smile tugging on his lips.

'What these?' She reached to her head, running her fingertips over them. 'I put them in this morning, well whatever counts as this morning I guess?' She laughed a little, a slight blush or her cheeks. 

'They look beautiful.' 

'Thank you, I just thought it would brighten things up a bit.'

'They certainly did just that.' He smiled at her for a moment before dipping his head, too shy to look any longer. 

They finished the generator, the lights clicking on and making him jump, another went off in the distance a few seconds later and he knew the trapper would be getting angry now without hooking anyone with only two more gens to go. As he rose to his feet he heard the faint sound of a heartbeat and signalled for Claudette to hide. He could take the chase today. He crouched down in the corn, moving slowly so he wouldn't be noticed til he had some good distance to start the chase. He watched Claudette's aura move slowly away, presumably to another generator. When she was safely gone he stood up, peering out over the top at the trapper who was searching a locker for them.

'Hey you! Over here!' He shouted, his body shaking as he did.

The Trapper's head whipped round to meet his gaze, he brought his cleaver up to his hip started making his way towards him. Dwight began to back up, keeping his eyes fixed on the killer before turning and fleeing as he drew too close for comfort. He ran through the corn mostly devoid of direction until he reached one of the shacks- one of the best places for looping providing it hadn't been trapped. He ran by the window and checked the pallet and saw nothing, it looked like he was in luck today. He waited til the killer caught up before starting the chase for real. He ran round the shack as much as he could, faking going for the window or dropping the pallet to use up as much time as he could.

Eventually the Trapper began to gain and him and Dwight was forced to finally drop the pallet, momentarily stunning him. He turned and ran, hoping for another safe pallet or window to loop around. Through the corn he could see the pig tree in the distance and he made his way towards it. He passed a small section of wall with a window on his way, nearly vaulting it before noticing a trap, he neatly swerved round and continued on.  _I need to be careful now. This is where The Trapper must have been most of the trial._

As he arrived he could hear rumbling, it sounded like a nearly finished generator. As he looked around he saw the auras of Nea and Bill hidden nearby and he kicked himself mentally. He'd led him right to them. He ran round the tree and started to head back to the fields again but the Trappers attention had been caught, he kicked the generator and began making his way towards where the other two were hidden.  _Oh crap I'm in for it later._ He watched Nea dart out from in between the walls, closely followed by an angry Trapper. 

Dwight watched before heading to the generator, he guessed he should at least finish what she started. Not long after he knelt down he heard a snap in the distance. Nea had been caught. It must have been the trap he saw, she hadn't gone far. He got up and ran over to where it had been and saw it was clamped shut, the teeth still dripping with blood. He could hear the heartbeat faintly and moments later saw Nea's red aura light up, body limp on a hook. He had to save her.

Adjusting his grip on the now mostly empty toolbox, Dwight took a breath and set off towards the hooked survivor. He kept as quiet as he could so not to draw any attention to himself until he could see Nea clearly ahead of him. He checked briefly before-hand before bolted over to her, grabbing her and lifting her off the hook.

'Do you want me to heal you?' He whispered, nudging her over to the wall.

'No I don't.' She hissed, moving away from him. 'Why the hell did you lead him towards us? You can see us for god sake!'

'I didn't notice Nea! I was busy being chased.'

'Well he's pissed at me and Bill, we spent most of the trial sabotaging his traps. I think he only has two left. But that means if he sees me again I'm screwed. He won't want me getting out today.'

Dwight nodded.

'I'll try my best.' 

Nea let out a snort of laughter and started to leave. 

'Oh I'm sure you will Dwight.'

***

Getting the last two gens done was proving to be a problem. The trapper was patrolling between them, chasing whoever was on it off and kicking it to regress the progress. He and Claudette stood scowling as they watched him kick theirs for what must be the 4th time now. They got out of the lockers they had been hiding in when he left, trying desperately to get as much done as they could. It was almost finished when they heard the heartbeat and he let out a growl of annoyance.  _This trial is going to last forever._

'Let me see if I can get him to chase me again.' He said.

Claudette nodded and headed back towards the locker whilst Dwight stayed on the generator. He stayed working on it til the heart beat was like thunder in his ears and the smiling mask appeared on the opposite side of the generator. He let out a yelp of surprise before stumbling to his feet and sprinting away, the killer hot in pursuit. He kept an eye out for the auras this time, swerving round as soon as he caught sight of the others. The killer shack would make up some time for them and would at least soothe his nerves a little bit. He heard Claudette's gen pop on the distance and he felt a surge of relief. Only one more to go, he could keep this up til then. Turning his head Dwight could see the Trapper was leaving him, he'd lost interest too quickly and was obviously off to check on the last three gens. He tried shouting again but it didn't work. Maybe if he let himself get hit then the trapper wouldn't leave him, not with the possibility of a kill so close. It was risky for sure but he knew someone needed to do something or they wouldn't be leaving this trial any time soon.

Dwight tracked him down to the pig tree again where Nea and Bill were already looping him round. He wasn't sure if he should leave them to it and head back to Claudette- after all they seemed to be doing a pretty good job. He looked over at the generator that was still unfinished here and wondered if he should work on it, it would help keep the trappers attention here so Claudette could finish one else where if needs be. He ran over, keeping low and hopefully unseen before kneeling down behind the generator just out of sight. 

Some oil leaked down onto his hands as he stuck them in and he let out a low sigh of disgust. Slippery fingers would just make the job harder to finish and he didn't have long. He kept an eye on the other two, Bill had a flash light now which he was using to help keep some distance. It was all going well until the blinded Trapper made a desperate swing at anything and managed to catch Nea's shoulder as she attempted to creep past him. She let out a yowl of pain as she surged forward from the hit and the killer quickly wiped his weapon before heading after her.  _I can't let him get her._

Giving the generator one last wistful look he got to his feet again and followed them. Nea was slower now and he knew she wouldn't be able to hold him off for much longer. He tried and failed to get the attention off her, standing in the way to entice a hit to no avail. Bill was doing slightly better, vaulting windows and getting in lockers nearby to confuse him but the selfless act ended up with him getting hit too. Eventually Nea was hit for the second time and she collapsed helplessly on the ground. As the Trapper picked her up Dwight ran forward hoping to block a hit so she might be able to wiggle off.

'Dwight no!' He heard Bill scream but he knew he had to do something, running ahead he blocked the entrance  to a hook but was easily pushed aside. Nea was hooked a few seconds later and he ran knowing it was unsafe to unhook her yet. He hid in the grass, hearing a wheezing sound a few feet away. He looked round and saw Bill staring at him, an angry look on his face.

'I'm sorry I couldn't save her.' He whispered, dipping his head in shame.

'I could've if you hadn't run in front like an idiot boy, I had the damn flashlight to blind him!'

Realising his mistake his blood ran cold. In his act of bravery he'd essentially condemned her to death. He dug his finger nails into his palm and closed his eyes. The trial had started off so well and no here he was again, a reckless attempt at a hero. The cold look in Bill's eyes was too much for him. Usually there was warmth in that gaze, reassurance and hope but for now it was gone. Bill had stood up for him so many times but it seemed even he had grown tired.

The final generator popped, filling the deathly silence between them. Dwight figured he should go open the doors, he couldn't mess that up at least. He ran off in the direction of the closest one, pulling the lever down when he arrived, the clanking and alarms only some what comforting. As the doors parted he gazed at the fire in the distance, he wanted to run there now and forget all about this shit trial. He wasn't that much of an idiot though, he still had to try and rectify what he could. 

He decided he'd open the second door, at least there would be more chance of escape if they were both open. After all she might not know which way to go. There wasn't a much worse feeling than heading to a door, the killer hot on your heels only to get there and realise it was closed. He ran over to where he was sure he had seen it, following the wall round til he found it he opened it as quick as he could. He knew Nea wouldn't have long now. 

Halfway there she was unhooked, taking a hit only a few seconds later. She didn't go down though so Dwight guessed Bill must have saved her, his most useful ability to say the least. There wouldn't be a lot of time before she'd collapse though, certainly if she took a another hit. Spotting them all in the distance he put on as much speed as he could, taking up the rear position beside Claudette to protect both Nea and Bill who were nursing injuries.

'Straight ahead and right to the door!' He shouted, moving round slightly to better protect Bill.

He heard Claudette scream and she ran ahead, blood now oozing from her shoulder. _It's all up to you now._ He stayed put at the back, the hit had at least earned them some space and the door was in sight. Nea collapsed just short of the entrance and his eyes widened in shock. Her extra time had ran out. Bill and Claudette immediately started healing her. The botanist was quick, her eyes full of determination despite her own injuries. Dwight knew they'd manage it if he could get a hit on him, a hit on anyone else would be game over. He charged straight at the killer, something he'd only ever seen David King do. He angled his shoulder straight for the Trappers chest, hitting him with an underwhelming knock. He bounced back like a ball, a sheepish grin on his face. The Trapper stared at him with most likely amusement before slashing Dwight's shoulder with the cleaver. The pain was seering hot and his vision went white as he turned blindly towards where he hoped the door was.

'Come on Dwight this way!' A voice came and a soft hand encircled his.

He felt the change from dirt to brick as he entered the gates, stumbling awkwardly he could begin to see the fire again and he smiled. He had done it this time. He looked to the side and saw it was Claudette that had him. Obviously it had been, the day Nea or Bill took his hand is the day they got out of this place.

***

It felt like walking through a veil of water as they exited the trial and arrived back at the camp fire. A strange but much better sensation than being sacrificed and having the feeling of your body being pushed up through the earth, rocks and bone dragging at your skin. 

The other survivors stood up at their arrival, Meg heading straight for Nea and embracing her tightly. He felt a squeeze on his palm as he continued to watch and realised he was still holding Claudette's hand. He felt his face flush and he loosened his grip awkwardly.

'Sorry I didn't realise...' 

'It's fine.' She told him, letting go of his hand gently. 'I think you needed it.'

Dwight nodded, running a hand through his hair.

'It was a rough trial.' He mumbled, looking over at Bill. The mans face was warm again as he stood talking to Tapp and Ace, the three of them laughing together as they shared a joke and by the looks of Ace's pocket possibly some alcohol of sorts later. 

'Don't worry Bill will come round.' Claudette assured him. 'Nea as well, Meg will see to that.' 

She giggled slightly and Dwight turned and saw Meg laid over Nea's lap, talking at around 100 mph about god knows what whilst tying what looked like some sort of bracelet round her partners wrist. Nea's face was soft, it always was around Meg. Her usual harsh features and frowns eased by the athlete, eyes full of fondness and affection.

'Let's go for a walk.'  Claudette suggested after they had greeted the rest of the survivors. She looked over at him, her brown eyes turning gold in the firelight. 

Dwight would be quite content to just stay here and stare at her. He shook his head trying to will his brain to work properly, he found the woman had a way of making it stop.

'Yes I'd like that.' 

She offered out her hand again and Dwight took it uncertainly. She laced her fingers between his and pulled him to her side, the smell of herbs filling his nose as she did. 

'Do you really think they'll forgive me?' He asked as they entered the woods, shoulders brushing together.

'Of course they will, you have to in a place like this. Besides you pulled it together at the end, Bill looked astounded when you ran at the Trapper like you did, and even Nea looked impressed, though she did call you an idiot.' She smirked slightly as she said it. 'I thought you were too, a brave idiot but still and idiot.'

Dwight laughed, relieved that his so called idiotic behaviour had paid off.

'Well that's good then, good that you think I'm brave.' 

She turned and smiled at him and Dwight noticed the flowers in her hair again, up close he could see they were violets. It looked like a couple had fallen out since he'd last seen them but there was still a few tiny purple buds hanging on.

'Why did you decide to become a botanist?' He asked as he admired them, fighting the urge to reach out and touch.

'Well.' She began, tipping her head to the side. 'I love science and I love nature. What the world has provided us with is just astounding, plants for so many uses; pain relief, stress and anxiety reducers, ones that make you vomit-'

'Why is that useful?' 

'Well say you ate poisonous berries, you could take it to bring them back up from your stomach. Vomiting can save your life Dwight.'

'I guess so, my mum told me to never eat berries from the woods though.'

'That's good advice for a child but in reality there's a lot of stuff we can eat.' She tugged him towards a small bush just off the path.

'These are just brambles, like the ones you put in pies.' She pulled some off and handed them to him, the juice already staining her fingertips slightly pink. 

'We've had these before haven't we?' He asked, popping one into his mouth, the flavour burst onto his tongue, bathing it in the delicious taste. 

'We did yeah, though this place changes all the time. I've seen all sorts of plants come and go. Remember we had apple trees when Ace arrived?' 

Dwight nodded, he remembered laughing in disbelief when she came back with her hands full of them. Ace had claimed his luck was rubbing off on this place already and really it was hard to not believe him- Laurie had found strawberries only a few days later.

He ate the last of the berries and licked the juice off his hand, his own sporting a pink stain as well now. He heard Claudette laugh at him and he shoved her shoulder gently, mostly causing himself to stumble.

'Lemon juice is good at getting rid of those.' She told him, steadying him before he fell. 'My fingers used to be red after a day of berry picking.'

'I only ever went once.' He confessed, 'My dad took me strawberry picking one summer, one of the only places he did take me.' He laughed grimly, biting his lip as he remembered his life back home. His Dad's disappointing looks at his report cards, his unenthusiastic cheers at any sporting event, his general lack of interest in Dwight at all. It made him feel like a failure, like he was never going to be good enough. His mother had tried her best to make up for it but he knew she was likely as upset as his dad was. He wasn't good at anything so she had nothing to tell anyone about when they asked about him, just that he was fine and the bad thing was, that wasn't even true either.

'Megs Dad left them when she was little.' Claudette said, breaking into his thoughts. 'You two should talk about that.

'My dad unfortunately didn't leave me, just stayed around to make sure I kept feeling like shit.'

'Well you both have shit dads then. She gets upset about it though, blames herself sometimes even though she was just a baby when it happened. I'm sure she'd appreciate having someone to talk to that understands even just a little bit.'

Dwight nodded, he knew it was worth trying. If he could help a fellow survivor he would, especially seeing as getting to know Meg better should hopefully improve his relationship with Nea.

'I suppose you had a good dad then?' 

Claudette smiled sadly. 'He was wonderful, I mean he didn't understand anything about the internet; thought it was weird I spent so much time talking to people on there but he supported me all the same. Came to all the science fairs and competitions, helped dig out all the weeds in the garden so I could have my own plot for all my plants. Even ate my first terrible attempts at pies and cakes using the fruit from said garden.' She laughed quietly, pausing and turning her body to face him.

'I miss him so much.' She whispered, moving closer towards him. 'I can't imagine how my parents are feeling, they probably think I'm dead.'

Dwight could see she had tears running down her cheek and he lifted a hand tentatively to wipe them away. He flinched as his fingers made contact with her skin, the feeling unfamiliar and scary as if he'd never touched another person in his life before now. He used the pad of his thumb to brush the tears away, his hand settling at the bottom of her jaw uncertainly as he wondered what he should do next.  Claudette smiled weakly at him before pushing herself into his chest and burying her face into his shirt. Though he was scared he found himself relaxing as her arms looped around his waist, her body warm against his. He wrapped his arms around her neck and placed his head on top of hers, the braids tickling his chin slightly. 

They stood like that for a while. The two of them in comfortable silence, glad of someone to hold onto in such a dim and hopeless place. Eventually they broke apart and headed back to the fire, hands still grasping onto each other. Dwight sat down next to Quentin and Claudette joined him at the other side. They spent the night talking to each other and to the other survivors that came and went- sharing stories of things they had done before they ended up here. Ace's stories were always the best, he told them like he was performing. He'd stand up in front of everyone, acting out dramatic events that had happened and impersonating all the people involved and they'd all be hanging onto his every word. Dwight was sure most of his stories were made up but no one ever said anything, they brought laughter to the group and that was worth more than gold. 

Eventually everyone was at the campfire, the entity giving them a short window to recuperate and sleep if they were so lucky. He wasn't sure why they got the time, he guessed if they were in constant trials then they would eventually just drop dead and be useless for whatever game the evil thing was playing. 

'Do you think the killers sleep?' Dwight asked Claudette who was leaning sleepily against his shoulder.

'I don't know... they must do surely? Most of them are human aren't they?'

Dwight nodded. 'Well they were human at least, maybe they have unlimited energy now or just get energy from killing us...'

'I don't think they sleep.' A voice came and Dwight turned and saw it was Nea speaking. She was leant with her back against the log, Meg's body wrapped around one of her legs. 

'Probably stay up all the time thinking up strategies and new ways to make us more miserable.'

'Do you really think so?' Claudette asked, her head on Dwights chest as she moved round. 'I don't think they all want to do what they're doing, I can see it in their eyes.'

Nea frowned, not a cruel one like normal more one of confusion.

'Really? All I see is hunger in their faces, although I guess I do cause them a lot of grief.' She laughed slightly and ran her fingers through Megs hair. 'Jake showed me how to break the traps quicker, me and Bill thought it would be funny if he had none left.'

Dwight laughed at that, he admired her for finding a way to claw back some power over the killers. To make light of such a bad situation.

'I'm sorry about today.' He told her, his shoulders slumping slightly. He felt Claudette place a hand on his arm and he smiled at her gratefully. 

'I thought I was helping...evidently not.'

Nea didn't say anything at first, just fixed him with one of her calculating stares. 

'I know you mean well Dwight, I watch you in trials, I watch everyone in trials to see how they work. I can tell you want so desperately to prove yourself, so eager to help that you fuck up sometimes trying to do the right thing.'

Dwight looked away as she spoke, the truth embarrassing to be heard out loud.

'I won't say you did great today because you didn't. But you fixed what you fucked up and for that I'm grateful, it means I can come back here it one piece. Back to Meg.'

She gave him a small smile and Dwight nodded at her gratefully. He felt Claudette squeeze his arm in approval and he felt himself relax a bit more as the burden of the last trial was listed off him a little.

'I told you it would be fine.' Claudette whispered as she snuggled into Dwight's side, wrapping an arm over his chest. Dwight smiled and pulled her body closer to his.

'I think as long as you're here everything will be fine.'

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: foxtail-magic


End file.
